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This is a fairly easy plant to draw, yet it was difficult to draw up the steps. That's because the trunk of the bush or tree can vary tremendously. The main thing is that the base of the plant and ends of the branches have a puffy poodle like foliage.

For a full list of Fantasy Landscape Step-outs, Step-by-steps, Step-wiselys and guide rules go here.

Last Sunday, I posted a step-wisely discussing how you can use the most basic of shapes to create all sorts of funky plants. I apologize because I'm going to bombard you this week with some step-outs based on that premise, so I can use them in Sunday's Step-wisely. After that, I hope to be on a Sunday only posting for Fantasy Landscapes, unless someone asks for a specific step-out to be done.

I'm really fond of the scribble method, especially when using color. This method is also known as squirkling, and who doesn't love a name like that?

I've touched on this method for applying texture - you can use it in just about any shape - check out this example I did for a Sharpie review a few years ago, here. I scribbled everything including the boy and his dog.

There is an unbelievable range of values that you can create so this is a very handy texture to use when you are trying to balance your values, so I decided I'd touch on it again as a step-out to create plan…

In drawing and painting, shapes are important, even in the most non-objective and abstract of art.

In my fantasy landscape drawings, they are crazy like mad important!

So for this week, I'm exploring shapes and the many, many, many landscape objects that you can make from them.

Today I'm showing you ways to use the most basic shapes:roundish-circles, ovals, etc.squarish-squares, rectangles, etc.triangularish-triangles
For each type of shape I drew some very, very basic shapes, and then I drew some that were a bit more complex. As time goes on I'll do step-outs for some of these, but chances are you can figure out most of them yourself. If you want a step-out for any one in particular, let me know and I'll do it up.

Roundish

Building on roundish shapes

Squarish

Building on Squarish shapes

Triangularish

Building on Triangularish shapes

Play with sizes, widths and lengths. Stack 'em up, place them side by side. Go from large to small and small to large. Alternate the …

The Great Zentangle Book by Beate Winkler, CZT® is now available in English! Previously, it was only available in German (Das Grosse Zentangle®-Buch). There are 101 patterns with original artwork from 47 CZTs and other artists.
I did review the German version, so this review will be very similar, but more accurate because I had to guess what was being said in the first version. I'm sadly lacking in the ability to speak more than one language.

Look & FeelSpecs
144 pages
8 x 0.5 x 10 inches
Glued Binding
Soft bound Cover
101 tangle step-outs
The paper is high quality and thick, so the book is fairly heavy. This is a mixed blessing. The book should withstand lots of use but the weight might make it uncomfortable to carry.
Although the binding is glued, you can fold the book backwards and if you do this (gently) the pages will lie almost flat, even in the middle.
There are many illustrations throughout, not just for the tangle step-outs. While the examples are done by v…

RubberStampMadness Magazine sent me this fantastic offer- the first 100 people who email them can get a free copy of their Summer Issue!

Do this-

email rsm@rsmadness.com with the following:put Free RubberStampMadness in the subject linemention my blogsite 'Life Imitates Doodles'include your mailing information send the email!
If yours is one of the first 100 emails to be received, you'll get a free copy!

Here's information about the issue: ATCs are the main focus, with six-pages inside, an ATC-filled cover. Down on the Farm stamp art incorporates cows, chickens, barns and over-sized potatoes in pastoral scenes. Judy and Bobby Duke of B & J's Art Stamps share the story of their home-grown business and samples of Judy's fabulous artwork. A how-to feature explains steps for making Simple "Step Cards," perfect for sharing through the mail. Three terrific tags are showcased in The Tag Shoppe. An album of "Not-Feeling-So-Blue" artwork and more…

The challenge is posted every Wednesday, and I went a little crazy and decided to do a Fun & Easy Landscape step-by-step that covered everything from drawing to shading through coloring. Hah! Real Life laughted at me, and I ended up with two finished pieces, a step-by-step for one, and a partial step-by-step of the second.

Zentangle is all about relaxing, not worrying over choices and going with the flow. Fun & Easy Landscapes are about discussing why one might make the decisions they do, and what to look for if you are unhappy with your finished work. If you are more into the Zentangle aspect, just scroll past the explanations, and learn from the artwork. If you are more into the Fun & Easy Landscape, read the explanations and learn from the artwork too.

Today's step-oust are loosely based on a Robin, but are generic enough that you can easily make changes and populate your fantasy landscape with all sorts of birds. I think Fat Bird One is probably easier to draw, but Fat Bird Two is cleaner in appearance. Play around and come up with your own fat birds!
And notice how these bird is built on roundish and triangularish shapes. Yes, I know. I just invented a word. It exists in my fantasy world.

For a full list of Fantasy Landscape Step-outs, Step-by-steps, Step-wiselys and guide rules go here.

This is another tin I decorated and set up as a travel palette for some of my watercolors. The tin originally came with tubes of Qor Watercolors, which I've long since used up. The tin is large enough to hold 14 full pans of paint, a pen, a waterbrush, a small natural sea sponge and a small water bottle.

The lid has embossed circles which create slight wells for mixing paint on the inside and bumps on the outside. I decided to turn the bumps into seashell.

Golden's Micaceous Iron Oxide acrylic is great for getting a gritty, sandy look so I went with acrylic to paint this lid. I did light sanding, but skipped applying gesso and went straight for the acrylic paint. I used the Iron Oxide, Cobalt Teal, Green Gold, Buff Titanium and Titanium White.

Although, I created the Use step-out years ago as a tangle pattern, I think it works just fine in my Fun & Easy landscape, so I'm using it today. If that's woolly thinking, I feel sheepish.

NOTE: I have to apologize. When drawing the step-by-step, I wasn't happy and started the whole thing over. I did like some of the first try, so I traced parts of it. What I wasn't aware of, was that the scanner was picking up underlying drawing, and creating bluish shadows on my new drawing. I cleaned it up some, but it's impossible to get rid of it all. I loves all of you, but not enough to redraw the step-out a third time!

Supplies: Pen and paper. Pencil and eraser recommended. I recommend drawing things in with pencil. I used a Pigma Micron PN because it is waterproof, so I can paint or color marker over this later if I wish. I used a good quality paper but it wasn't necessary.

Resources: Today I'm using the textures I presented in my Basic Textures step-…